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Could it cool and crystallise? Could those crystals then erode and reform again as sedimentary rocks to be come a solid planets like earyh? I understand that
by greggsy 1y ago
Could it cool and crystallise?
Could those crystals then erode and reform again as sedimentary rocks to be come a solid planets like earyh?
I understand that’s not how earth itself came to be, but it’s an interesting metamorphosis that I hadn’t previously considered.
- jessriedel 1y agoLike the interior of the planet, the atmosphere is overwhelmingly hydrogen and helium. And helium is liquid even at 0 temperature unless under pressure, so presumably (?) would be liquid on the surface. These materials are mechanically very different than the silcates and metals dominating the Earth’s crust, and I don’t think we even have well measured bulk properties? Not sure what erosion processes would look like.
- anton-c 1y agoThat's wild to think about. My mind is struggling to picture 'liquids on the surface' of Jupiter. No idea what that would look like.
- jessriedel 1y agoI am deeply looking forward to the dragonfly mission to Titan, since we'll finally get high-resolution color images from the surface, which has liquid seas of hydrocarbons like methane and ethane at -290 F. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly_(Titan_space_probe) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly_(Titan_space_probe) The single image from the surface by the Huygens probe leaves a lot to be desired. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)#/media/File:Huygens_surface_color.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)#/media/File:Huyge...
- anton-c 1y agoYeah this is gonna be awesome, appreciate the heads up!
- lazide 1y agoAt the point hydrogen, helium, ammonia, etc. have cooled to solid ‘rock’, chemistry and weather as we’re familiar with it doesn’t really apply anymore. Pluto has been that way for a long time though, albeit good luck spending enough time there to get very familiar with it.